Polished Volvo Penta drive parts

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I thought I would show a Volvo Penta drive with some of the aluminum parts sanded and polished. I will be adding a clearcoat to the entire drive when I finish with the lower foot. I thought some of you guys might like this look if you are doing some mild customizing. Bill

[MOP]

Bill we had a fellow out by me years ago did his drive ot drove him nuts trying to keep it up in our salt mess, he would wash it after every run and shoot it down with CRC helped but did not stop the white fuzz. Someone turned him onto Ford Chrome Saver worked very well but still needed attention in the separation areas.

Does look great though!

Phil

[zelatore]

Looks great - how did you go about polishing it?

I'd never do it myself - too much work. Sorta like a wood boat with a lot of varnish - beautiful to look at, so long as it's on somebody else's boat!

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill we had a fellow out by me years ago did his drive ot drove him nuts trying to keep it up in our salt mess, he would wash it after every run and shoot it down with CRC helped but did not stop the white fuzz. Someone turned him onto Ford Chrome Saver worked very well but still needed attention in the separation areas.

Does look great though!

Phil

Thanks. I am hoping the clearcoat will be the answer to the constant polishing. This is definitely not a great idea for boats that stay in the water for any extended periods of time or probably any boats that are in salt water, but I really like the look.


Looks great - how did you go about polishing it?

I'd never do it myself - too much work. Sorta like a wood boat with a lot of varnish - beautiful to look at, so long as it's on somebody else's boat!

I actually bought the outdrive with the polished parts. I showed it here on the Donzi site, because I didn't know those parts would take a polish like this or I would have done it to mine a long time ago. He wet sanded the parts down from heavy grit to 1500 or so followed by compounding them. Needless to say, you will see lots of black before you see a mirror finish - lol. Bill

[bzsmarina]

looks great. if you can take it apart and get all the seals out of it, powder coating clear would be your best way to go. as i had done to all the polished parts on my show car. holds up great.

[bzsmarina]

also if you put auto clear on it it will peel. the auto clear needs a sand scratch to make it stick. it will not stick to the polished surface. powder bakes into the surface and it will not peel.

[MOP]

Problem with powder coating it it raises the surface requiring re-shimming, may be worth the effort but as we know one nick and it goes bye bye also.

[Buddyc]

looks great. if you can take it apart and get all the seals out of it, powder coating clear would be your best way to go. as i had done to all the polished parts on my show car. holds up great.
Agreed. I use to powdercoat clear and it is a great product. Great ashesion and the shine doesnt fade

[Buddyc]

Problem with powder coating it it raises the surface requiring re-shimming, may be worth the effort but as we know one nick and it goes bye bye also.
Agreed about shimming and buildup from product. I would have motorcycle frames powdercoated and from all the abuse from road debrit amongst other chit hitting it, they would hold up great and be hard pressed to find chips if done right

[bzsmarina]

i have never had a problem. i do the heads and jugs for Harley`s. long as the coater tapes off the mating surface, and plugs all bolt holes. just have to find a coater who cares.

[Buddyc]

i have never had a problem. i do the heads and jugs for Harley`s. long as the coater tapes off the mating surface, and plugs all bolt holes. just have to find a coater who cares.
Agreed, Finding anyone who cares about the job they put out makes all the difference in the world. I had a 124" Evo we did. Cases and juggs. even the fins on the juggs held up great and they can take a beating

[bzsmarina]

yeah, i have done everything i could on my car and the boat. done the transom shield, bell housings, mid shaft housing, ect, even took apart the rams for the trim to do them. but i did not do the drive only cause i did not want to tear it down.

[mike o]

:wink:

[Buddyc]

Whats up with the motor under the plastic? hmmm:wink:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

also if you put auto clear on it it will peel. the auto clear needs a sand scratch to make it stick. it will not stick to the polished surface. powder bakes into the surface and it will not peel.

I have to admit that I am a little concerned about adhesion, but I am going to give it a shot anyway. I know that any scratch marks under clear still show so I will be trying to clear the polished surfaces except the black that will receive a little scratch prep. The lower foot will be black, and it is the only piece that really recieves the abuse so maybe it will work?


:wink:

Thanks, Mike


Whats up with the motor under the plastic? hmmm:wink:

The engine right behind the drive is the 496HO that I just bought. It has a red flame top cover plate on it, but I also got the original black one with the correct decals. There is a good chance it will be going in the Martini at a later date - :yes:

[Bamboo Loui]

people probably get tired of my reccomendation for a product called metal wax--but we polish our pontoons with it and they look like chrome every year-- check out metalwax.com-- I swear--the stuff really works:) I would much rather do that than do a coating that can get chipped and woulld then need major cleaning-
pretty sure you can find a thread where I posted a pic or two of the toons

[pipnit]

The polished aluminum looks trick!

Have you ever heard of the POR 15 product called PC Glisten? It can be used in marine setting (use three coats), is very easy to brush on (self leveling) and is very, very, durable. I've done the fork stanchions of some vintage bikes and they've all held up really well and looks like glass.

http://www.marine-paint.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=GPC&Category_Code=Topcoats

[Conquistador_del_mar]

people probably get tired of my reccomendation for a product called metal wax--but we polish our pontoons with it and they look like chrome every year-- check out metalwax.com-- I swear--the stuff really works:) I would much rather do that than do a coating that can get chipped and woulld then need major cleaning-
pretty sure you can find a thread where I posted a pic or two of the toons

Although the product sounds good, it also seems to require regular maintenance. In the case of an outdrive, I already know the heat will cause a quick build up of spotting on the bare aluminum which the metal wax might not combat. Thanks for the suggestion, though.


The polished aluminum looks trick!

Have you ever heard of the POR 15 product called PC Glisten? It can be used in marine setting (use three coats), is very easy to brush on (self leveling) and is very, very, durable. I've done the fork stanchions of some vintage bikes and they've all held up really well and looks like glass.

http://www.marine-paint.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=GPC&Category_Code=Topcoats

This does sound like a good product for this use. In fact, I am almost sure I am going to order some to try out. Thanks, Bill

[pipnit]

Cool. As with most paint type products, prep is everything. You're gong to need to get the marine clean and metal prep products as well. I'd test something other than the drive first to see what you think. Gluck

[joseph m. hahnl]

Is that is a bolt on cover?
Clear chromate may be a better option. You need to passivate the aluminum, to get the best corrosion resistance. Then you can apply a clear coat.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Is that is a bolt on cover?
Clear chromate may be a better option. You need to passivate the aluminum, to get the best corrosion resistance. Then you can apply a clear coat.

I am not sure what you meant by your question about the cover.
Could you explain what passivate the aluminum means? Is clear chromate the same as a clear zinc chromate? Is it used as an aluminum primer for paint like the yellowish green zinc chromate? Thanks, Bill

[joseph m. hahnl]

I am not sure what you meant by your question about the cover.
Could you explain what passivate the aluminum means? Is clear chromate the same as a clear zinc chromate? Is it used as an aluminum primer for paint like the yellowish green zinc chromate? Thanks, Bill


I was asking if the polished part comes off the rest of the drive.

Yes, very similar to yellow chromate . Clear chromate leaves the natural color of the part with out yellowing it, as the Zinc chromate does. It is also Known as clear iridite .

I read that there is a process that they can use hot water during treatment to turn the yellow chromate to clear.But true clear chromate does not use that process.

Also,If you are talking about the paint primers that use chromate in them,they passivate the aluminum in one step as you prime it.

But ,because you want true clear, you would need to go with a separate passivating process.

Passivation is the process of making a material "passive", usually by the deposition of a layer of oxide on its surface.[1] (http://www.donzi.net/forums/#cite_note-0) In air, passivation affects the properties of almost all metals–notable examples being aluminium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium), zinc (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Zinc), titanium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Titanium), and silicon (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Silicon) (a metalloid (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Metalloid)). In the context of corrosion (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Corrosion), passivation is the spontaneous formation of a hard non-reactive surface film that inhibits further corrosion. This layer is usually an oxide or nitride (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Nitride) that is a few nanometers thick.


Aluminium
Pure aluminium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium) naturally forms a tough resistant oxide, alumina (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Alumina), almost immediately that protects it from further oxidation in most environments. Aluminium alloys (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium_alloy), however, offer little protection against corrosion. There are three main ways to passivate these alloys: alclading (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Alclad), chromate conversion coating (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Chromate_conversion_coating) and anodizing (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Anodizing). Alclading is the process of metallurgically bonding a thin layer of pure aluminium to the aluminium alloy. Chromate conversion coating is a common way of passivating not only aluminum, but also zinc (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Zinc), cadmium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Cadmium), copper (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Copper), silver (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Silver), magnesium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Magnesium), and tin (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Tin) alloys. Anodizing forms a thick oxide coating. This finish is more robust than the other processes and also provides good electrical insulation (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Electrical_insulation), which the other two processes do not.

[Bamboo Loui]

I was asking if the polished part comes off the rest of the drive.

Yes, very similar to yellow chromate . Clear chromate leaves the natural color of the part with out yellowing it, as the Zinc chromate does. It is also Known as clear iridite .

I read that there is a process that they can use hot water during treatment to turn the yellow chromate to clear.But true clear chromate does not use that process.

Also,If you are talking about the paint primers that use chromate in them,they passivate the aluminum in one step as you prime it.

But ,because you want true clear, you would need to go with a separate passivating process.

Passivation is the process of making a material "passive", usually by the deposition of a layer of oxide on its surface.[1] (http://www.donzi.net/forums/#cite_note-0) In air, passivation affects the properties of almost all metals–notable examples being aluminium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium), zinc (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Zinc), titanium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Titanium), and silicon (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Silicon) (a metalloid (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Metalloid)). In the context of corrosion (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Corrosion), passivation is the spontaneous formation of a hard non-reactive surface film that inhibits further corrosion. This layer is usually an oxide or nitride (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Nitride) that is a few nanometers thick.


Aluminium
Pure aluminium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium) naturally forms a tough resistant oxide, alumina (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Alumina), almost immediately that protects it from further oxidation in most environments. Aluminium alloys (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium_alloy), however, offer little protection against corrosion. There are three main ways to passivate these alloys: alclading (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Alclad), chromate conversion coating (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Chromate_conversion_coating) and anodizing (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Anodizing). Alclading is the process of metallurgically bonding a thin layer of pure aluminium to the aluminium alloy. Chromate conversion coating is a common way of passivating not only aluminum, but also zinc (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Zinc), cadmium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Cadmium), copper (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Copper), silver (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Silver), magnesium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Magnesium), and tin (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Tin) alloys. Anodizing forms a thick oxide coating. This finish is more robust than the other processes and also provides good electrical insulation (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Electrical_insulation), which the other two processes do not.

extremely good information-- aluminum oxide is what we all are dealing with if we have alot of aluminum parts. same happens with stainless and people just don't understand-- excellent post:) oxidation does happen to all metals---it just happens different ways.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I was asking if the polished part comes off the rest of the drive.

Yes, very similar to yellow chromate . Clear chromate leaves the natural color of the part with out yellowing it, as the Zinc chromate does. It is also Known as clear iridite .

I read that there is a process that they can use hot water during treatment to turn the yellow chromate to clear.But true clear chromate does not use that process.

Also,If you are talking about the paint primers that use chromate in them,they passivate the aluminum in one step as you prime it.

But ,because you want true clear, you would need to go with a separate passivating process.

Passivation is the process of making a material "passive", usually by the deposition of a layer of oxide on its surface.[1] (http://www.donzi.net/forums/#cite_note-0) In air, passivation affects the properties of almost all metals–notable examples being aluminium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium), zinc (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Zinc), titanium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Titanium), and silicon (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Silicon) (a metalloid (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Metalloid)). In the context of corrosion (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Corrosion), passivation is the spontaneous formation of a hard non-reactive surface film that inhibits further corrosion. This layer is usually an oxide or nitride (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Nitride) that is a few nanometers thick.


Aluminium
Pure aluminium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium) naturally forms a tough resistant oxide, alumina (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Alumina), almost immediately that protects it from further oxidation in most environments. Aluminium alloys (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Aluminium_alloy), however, offer little protection against corrosion. There are three main ways to passivate these alloys: alclading (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Alclad), chromate conversion coating (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Chromate_conversion_coating) and anodizing (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Anodizing). Alclading is the process of metallurgically bonding a thin layer of pure aluminium to the aluminium alloy. Chromate conversion coating is a common way of passivating not only aluminum, but also zinc (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Zinc), cadmium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Cadmium), copper (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Copper), silver (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Silver), magnesium (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Magnesium), and tin (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Tin) alloys. Anodizing forms a thick oxide coating. This finish is more robust than the other processes and also provides good electrical insulation (http://www.donzi.net/wiki/Electrical_insulation), which the other two processes do not.

Thank you for the informative post. Yes, the top cover and back covers will come off the drive, but not the sides parts that are polished. Bill

[joseph m. hahnl]

I came across this stuff.It might work for you application.


http://www.carolinaprocesscontrol.com/Chromates-c-12-16.html



LUSTER-ON ALUMINESCENT

Trivalent Chromate for Aluminum Alloys

I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Luster-On Aluminescent is a powdered product used to form a chromate conversion coating on
aluminum surfaces without the use of hexavalent chromium. The process provides excellent
corrosion protection at low cost and forms a base for paint, lacquer, or rubber bonding. The
chromate can be applied by dip, spray, brush, swab, or roll coating, requires no electric current,
cooling or exhaust. Luster-On Aluminescent yields clear, slightly iridescent films while forming
a protective surface with lower electrical resistance than anodizing. Luster-On Aluminescent is
suitable for both wrought and cast aluminum alloys and is designed for ease of operation with
minimum control.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Thank you for that product information. Bill